Hangzhou moments and a few birds

We were in Hangzhou for the 30th APACRS meeting in June so we had the opportunity to stay one night at the Shangri-La hotel on West Lake and then spend some time birding at Xixi wetlands with the gang.

The ShangriLa on Westlake is beautifully located right on the lake and this alone would justify staying there. Many reports on TA gripe about it being old and in need of upgrading but really the location makes you forget all the blemishes of the property. This is what we saw at dawn…

Daybreak from the Shangri La Hotel overlooking Xihu or the Westlake…

As the day lightened, people started arriving…

The grounds of the ShangriLa itself are a nice garden and here a magpie robin shows

If you walk behind the hotel , there is a steep hill with some interesting birds…

the ubiquitous green backed tit is everywhere in China

as is the light vented bulbul!

here, singing to its heart’s content

And in a fruiting tree behind the eastern end of the hotel, this grey headed parrotbill was feeding

An ashy drongo also showed

Ashy drongo

and the last bird in this amazing fruiting tree was this chestnut bulbul

Chestnut bulbul..back view

Chestnut bulbul

From the lounge on top of the hotel, we get a view of Westlake and the Sudi Causeway

interesting vignettes in Westlake

We then took a walk along the Sudi causeway…

juvenile magpie robin

moorhen

Pretty scenes on westlake

westlake bridge

blackbird

Black bulbul..white headed morph

And if you have time to catch the Zhang YiMou extravaganza at night on the lake, you should.

Our last day in Hangzhou, we visited the Xixi Wetlands about 30min west of Westlake..but we got there a bit late and the birdlife was scarce…

Black crowned night heron

Black crowned night heron

Little Grebe in action

Little Grebe nesting with duckling

juvenile black headed munia

ducklings a-swimming

The Xixi wetlands was slightly disappointing…we actually got more birds at the ShangriLa hotel grounds and in westlake itself…..